Henna’s dye molecule is called lawsonia. Lawsonia is red-orange. Real Henna is NOT black, or any other color except derivations of red. When the paste is on the skin it may dry to a greenish or brownish black, but the stain it leaves on the skin will be red-orange.
Henna products that profess to leave a black stain on the skin very probably contain para-phenylendiamine, or ppd, which is a very concentrated coal tar derived dye also used in hair dye. PPD is a known trans-dermal toxin and allergic sensitizer and is also carcinogenic. PPD can cause painful blistering sores on the skin which will leave permanent scars.
PPD can also cause serious health problems spanning from constant skin irritation if exposed to any chemicals in the same class as PPD (like cosmetics and textile dyes for clothing and upholstery) to very serious life altering illness such as renal failure.
Rovinghorse Henna will never sell or use black henna!
For more information go here: HP Black Henna Warnings. http://www.hennapage.com/henna/ppd/index.html
